+++ how to confess?

hi i want to know from you experinces what is confession point of view? how to confess? with simple words need practical words and not what the actual meaning of it. how to benefit from confessing does really God in midest between me and abouna do u guys take ur shoes off? just wondering how to get the most of confession? i have no experience and i don't know how confession goes tell me tips i can do before and during and after confession practical please from your experinces and not from a book.

[quote author=donia_kiwi link=board=12;threadid=4410;start=0#msg60821 date=1158266836] just wondering how to get the most of confession? i have no experience and i don't know how confession goes tell me tips i can do before and during and after confession practical please from your experinces and not from a book.

1- sit with yourself and judge it.write down everything u did,whether good or bad.and be fair,don`t defend urself and give excuses,and don`t be very hard with it.2- while u r waiting to confess,try not to talk with others,just concentrate on ur confession.3- don`t forget to cover ur head.4- don`t blame anyone for ur sins.ur confession is about ur sins not others`.5- try to memorize every word ur FOC tells u.and follow it.6- ALWAYS obey ur FOC,and NEVER doubt him.7- after u finish confessing,be sure that god forgot ur sins however bad they are,as long as u really hate them and willing not to ever do them again.

last note: don`t ever think that what u do is very bad and no-one does what u do.trust me,abounas met much people worse than u.u won`t ever become as bad as st moses the black and yet he became a great staint.so never hesitate in telling ur FOC about a specific sin.TELL HIM EVRYTHING.and if u r ashamed ,u should be ashamed of ur sin not abouna.he is also a human and make mistakes and confess ,so u all make sins even pope shenouda.

sorry for the long reply.hope i have answered all of ur questions ( practically ) ;)

thanks for replying ;Dwhat abouna suppose to know about me only the bad things ! or can i tell him about the good things that i been doing. relate to my spiritual life or that will consider as showing up ??sorry i don't have any experinces in confession

you can just talk to your priest about whatevers on yur mind.. any problems in your life, etc..

and about repentance, rather than repenting just before you go to confession, try to go through your day with God every night. tell Him the good things, the bad things, the happy & the sad. in other words.. everything that happened in your day.

[quote author=Hizz_chiilld link=board=12;threadid=4410;start=0#msg60865 date=1158401467]you can just talk to your priest about whatevers on yur mind.. any problems in your life, etc..

and about repentance, rather than repenting just before you go to confession, try to go through your day with God every night. tell Him the good things, the bad things, the happy & the sad. in other words.. everything that happened in your day.

very good point Hizz_chiilld .

and yes donia,i think u can also tell ur FOC about the good things as well.i once heared a father saying that but not sure about it. as for practical tips ,i have nothing better than what Hizz_child said.as i said also :"try to memorize every word ur FOC tells u.and follow it. "

u can also tell him wht is bothering you, confession in not all about wht u have done bad in your life! but also wht is bothering u, u can talk about school/college with him! ur classes! friends! he is like your new best friend! so take advantage of this relationship and tell him everything! and the best part is abona's adivces alawys and forever more WORK!! no matter how big, complicated, and complex the issue may seem!

and god is present when u do ur confession!

and ur sins will be forgiven once u leave ur seat with abona!!

GBWU!

btwi talk to my abona like i talk to my bestfriends! he is there to listen and not judge! and give me adivice! i can tell him stuff i can NOT tell my parents! and what i tell him, he doesn't TELL it to anyone! not even his wife! no one! he is not supposed to tell any-one about wht u have confessed about! even if it was ur parents!!

if its your first time confessing, i think abouna should take it easy on you..he'll give you points and hints of what to talk about and he'll also ask you in case you forget or you're shy..but in case your abouna doesn't give you points to talk about..here's some points that my abouna always gives me when am confessing: 1.your relationship with God (how often d you talk to him, and pray)2.your relationship with yourself.3.your relationship with people from church and how you feel around them.4.your relationship with your friends at school and how you feel when you talk to them and how you feel about them.5.finally anything else thats bothering you..or any sins that you wanna confess or talk to him about.

also, feel free to tell abouna about anything cuz he'll NEVER tell anyone even your parents..and take him as a best friend and as a spiritual guidance!

How Can I Benefit from Confession?- Confess your sins and errors in detail.- be careful not to hide anything no matter how ugly or embarrassing it is.- not blame others or your circumstances and justify yourself of wrongdoing.- "Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord" (Lam. 2:19). The prophet mentions water in particular, for water does not leave any trace or odor after it is poured from the vessel in contrast to oil which inevitably leaves some remains in the vessel no matter how thoroughly you pour it, and in contrast to vinegar which leaves an odor in the vessel after it is poured out. Therefore, your confessions should be a total outpouring of your sins before God in the presence of the priest so that no trace or odor of sin is left within your heart. Know that the pouring out of your sins in confession is done before God, "before the face of the Lord" and not before a human being because the Holy Spirit is present to hear and forgive.

haiie just ah quick note.. repenting a sin means that you totalllyy give it up andd never plan to do it againnn ! ii used to make the mistake of confessing things i knew were wrong but didnt intend to stop.. Pray for me

i have a question concering a father of confessioni don't remember the exact sentence but it says not all priests that ordained as priests have confession or be a father of confession.I just to know is that true how do i know? :-\i hope u guys get what i'm trying to say

[quote author=donia_kiwi link=board=12;threadid=4410;start=15#msg61251 date=1159246375]i have a question concering a father of confessioni don't remember the exact sentence but it says not all priests that ordained as priests have confession or be a father of confession.I just to know is that true how do i know? :-\i hope u guys get what i'm trying to say

i think i understand u.each one ordinated as a priest have the right to be a father of confession,but not all of them have the gift to be a GOOD FOC ( at least to everyone ).i mean that u should choose ur FOC carefully.a one whom u love,know him well and trust him,and one u r sure that he will understand u, because not all FOC can benefit everyone.

if someone took communion with sin still on them, then add that to ur sin list lol. if a person didnt kno and then they told abouna then its not wrong but u better off not take communion before u confess.

and only girls put something on thier heads..thats if it is in the middle of the mass u kno when some ppl go to confess then.

well for girls we hav to put the esharab. if its in the altar then yes we take of the shoes. my priest tells us to pray before. and well juss be urself. u dont need to use big wrds. jussmake sre ur tlkin bout omly urself. not other ppls sins.

first u talk to yourself, then god, then ubouna. those are the three steps. u may rite ur sins on a paper but dont lose it or youll be in big trouble.

[quote author=mjoe80 link=board=12;threadid=4410;start=0#msg61235 date=1159228648]what if someone takes communion without confessing?If you forget then still tell abouna but if you know before taking communion tell abouna right then right before taking communion

I never knew girls had to wear a sharb when confessing ????. anywayz i really like confession because my priest helps me a lot, hes great. To confess you have to talk with yourself first then say sorry to the person then go and tell abouna.

Before confession one should attempt to recall all the sins which one has committed voluntarily or involuntarily. One must attentively reexamine one's life in order to recall not only those sins committed since the last confession, but also those which have not been confessed through forgetfulness. Then, with compunction and a contrite heart, approach the Cross and the Gospel and begin the confession of your sins.

1. Confess your sins honestly, remembering that you open them not to a man, but to God Himself. God knows your sins already and only wants your admission of them. You should not be embarrassed before your spiritual father: he is a person just as you are. He knows human shortcomings well, man's tendency towards sin. For this reason your spiritual father cannot be your terrible judge at confession. Is the reason that you are embarrassed before your spiritual father that you are afraid to lose his good opinion of you? On the contrary, your spiritual father will have all the more love for you when he sees your open, honest confession. Furthermore, if you are afraid to reveal your sins before just one person, your spiritual father, how will you overcome your embarrassment when you appear at God's Last Judgment? There, all your sins which you have not confessed will be opened before God Himself, the Angels and all the people.

2. Be specific when you confess, listing all your sins separately. St. John Chrysostom says: "One must not only say: I have sinned, or I am sinful, but one must declare each type of sin." "The revelation of sins," says St. Basil the Great, "is subject to the same law as the Declaration of physical ills..." The sinner is spiritually ill, and the spiritual father is the physician or healer. It stands to reason that one must confess or tell about one's sins in the same way as one who is physically ill describes the symptoms of his illness to a physician from whom he expects to receive healing.

3. Do not mention anyone else during confession, i.e. do not complain about anyone - what sort of confession is this? It is not confession, but judgement and a new sin.

4. Do not attempt to justify yourself in any way during confession: blaming weakness, custom, etc. The more one justifies himself during confession, the less one is justified by God. The more one denounces, judges and accuses oneself, the more one is justified in the eyes of God.

5.When questioned by your spiritual father, do not say: "I can't remember, maybe I committed that sin." God commanded us to always remember our sins. In order not to justify ourselves with not remembering, we must confess our sins as often as possible. Those who, because of carelessness, confess and take communion infrequently, and because of this forget their sins, have no one to blame but themselves. They cannot hope for remission of the sins which they failed to confess. Thus, it is imperative that we try to recall all our sins. When someone owes us something we are sure to remember this. Yet we forget our own debts before God! Does this not reveal an utter absence of concern for our soul on our part?

6. Unless asked by your spiritual father, do not list the sins you have not committed or things you have not done. Doing this, you liken yourself to the Pharisee of the Gospel. You do not confess your sins, but boast, thereby increasing your judgment.

7. We must confess with sorrow and a contrite heart the sins by which we have grieved our Lord God. It is not good that many tell of their sins matter-of-factly, without any remorse. They speak as though they are engaged in some casual conversation. What is worse, some even allow themselves to laugh during confession. These are all signs of unrepentedness. Confessing in this manner, we do not cleanse ourselves of our sins, but rather increase them.

8. Finally, confess your sins with faith in Jesus Christ, with hope in His mercy. Only with faith in Jesus Christ and hope in Him can we receive forgiveness of our sins. Without faith, we cannot receive remission. An example of this is Judas the traitor—who was remorseful of what he did, but did not have faith in Jesus, no hope in His mercy, and thus ended his own life.

This then, is how we must confess in order to receive remission of our sins from our Lord God. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

Prayerful Preparation for CommunionOf all of the days in the life of a Christian, the happiest is the day on which we receive Holy Communion worthily, with complete attentiveness and preparation. Through confession, we have washed ourselves of all sins, opened before the Lord our entire soul, and received into the house of our soul the Holy Heavenly Guest, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who said "He who eats of My Body and drinks of My Blood abides in Me and I in him." On the day on which we receive Communion, it is extremely important for us to recognize what we are doing, and in participating in the awesome Mystery, to understand what responsibility we are taking upon ourselves. To receive the Divine Guest carelessly, without the requisite attention, is to condemn ourselves. May it not be so! Here is the minimum that is essential for us to do in order to derive spiritual benefit.

1. Confess on the eve of the Liturgy, in order to give yourself and your spiritual father time for a complete confession. At the end of this brochure you will find "A Brief Confession Before the Confessor." Before coming to confession, read it at home to help you recall the sins which you have committed, or bring it with you when you come to confession.

2. Read the Prayer Rule before Holy Communion. In the Jordanville Prayer Book, this rule may be found on pp. 334-368. The Rule consists of a series of Psalms, a Canon, and Prayers before Communion. The more zealous may add to this rule the Canon to Sweetest Jesus, the Canon and Akathist to the Most-holy Theotokos, and the Canon to the Guardian Angel. These prayers may also be found in the Jordanville Prayer Book.

3. On the day of Holy Communion, it is essential to come to the church by the beginning of the Liturgy, and on an empty stomach, i.e. having abstained since midnight from food and drink, as well as from smoking. Those who come to church late may not approach the Holy Chalice.

4. We ask female parishioners to ensure that when they commune, they not wear lipstick, and that they have their heads covered.

5. The Church instructs those who approach for Communion to cross their arms over their breast, and to approach with lips confessing Christ, and hearts filled with a fervent love for Him and with thanksgiving. In 961, the 6th Ecumenical Council established this Canon: "Whosoever wishes to partake....let him form his hands into the shape of a cross, and thus approaching, let him receive the communion of grace.... (Canon 101).

6. In the instructions for the Order of Service it is stated that upon receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, swallow them with reverence, and after wiping their lips, kiss the rim of the Chalice as the actual rib of Christ from which flowed blood and water.

7. After Communion, read the thanksgiving prayers. At our church, these prayers are always read while our parishioners are venerating the Holy Cross. Communicants gather at the left side of the church, together listen to the prayers, and only upon their completion, approach the Cross.

The Food of the Mystical Supper is the Heavenly Food of our restoration, of the New Testament between God and mankind. Whoever receives this food without due preparation brings on the opposite—destruction. May it not be so!

A Brief Confession Before Father ConfessorsFrom the Full Confession of St. Demetrius of Rostov I confess to the Lord my God and before thee, venerable father, all my countless sins, committed by me unto this very day and hour, in deed, word and thought. I sin daily and hourly by mine ingratitude toward God for His great and countless blessings and benevolent providence over me, a sinner.